


The Way Back

by SteveCaster



Category: Blake's 7
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28834851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteveCaster/pseuds/SteveCaster
Summary: Life in the Dome is supposed to be tranquil. But what goes on under the surface?
Comments: 8
Kudos: 5





	The Way Back

"Rough shift?" Brell asked, taking one look at my face.  
I gave my standard non committal shrug and wondered into the kitchen to find some breakfast. She knew I wasn't allowed to talk about work, it was a crime punishable by death after all, yet she still asked. She didn't used to, not every time, not when I first started. But lately things had been getting worse and, I guess, I'd been showing it on my face.

She came up behind me and wrapped me in her arms. Her breath feathered my neck.  
"Talk to me Ord. You haven't been the same this last month or so. What's the matter?"  
I turned, wanting to tell her, but my training and the threat of capital punishment, held me back. Brell moved away from me, exasperation in her voice.

"I didn't want it to be like this," she began, "when we arrived you were full of hope. Everything was going to be different. The benefits outweighed the costs. But now..." she trailed off.

I knew exactly what she meant. Three months ago, we'd arrived from the outer lands and the dome had impressed us. We'd been awed by its vastness. The Federation, it appeared, really did have its citizen's wellbeing at its core. The standard of living was far better than we'd been used to in our farming hemisphere and we'd eagerly talked of encouraging others to come a join us. Because we'd come voluntarily, we'd been moved into private accommodation, not spacious but practical. The Federation had made sure we were aware of their presence, of course, but by and large, we'd been left to ourselves.

My training, six weeks with the other recruits, had been easy. Basically, a crash course in following orders. My team had grasped it very quickly. The trainers, fortunately, had never needed to discipline us. There were rumours, from other units, of trainees who simply vanished; spoke out of turn one day, never seen again. Regardless of the truth, those whispers kept us in line. No one desired to find out more.

As our training drew to a close, we were told our roles. I was to work security patrol. My job was to 'keep the place civil', as the commander put it. We were schooled in de-escalation skills, told what to say when someone didn't follow the rules, shown how to arrest without causing injury. It all seemed very straight forward and, before I knew it, I was wearing the smart, black uniform of the Federation Peace Force.

From behind my helmet, I was proud to be doing my part for the dome; walking the streets, enjoying how people dived out of my way. I had their respect and I liked it. I was partnered with another rookie, Brent and an experienced officer, Graven. I know Brell was proud of me too. We were on the up.

I'd been patrolling a little ahead of the others, the first time I came across a malcontent. A man was yelling at another man. Some dispute about owed money or something. Remembering my training, I worked through the checklist in my head, asking what was going on, then attempting to resolve the dispute. By that time Graven arrived. He took one look at the men and let lose a vicious volley of punches, sending both to the floor. As the men rolled over to face him, he glowered at them.

"Next time maybe you'll think twice before attacking a member of the FPF. Now get out of my sight before I lose my temper."

_Attacking a member of the FPF?_

Kicking both men as he left, Graven continued down the street.

"Deplorables, that's what they are," he told me. "Don't bother reasoning with them, Brell. There's only one thing they understand. Though, if it were down to me, they'd be swept from the dome and we'd be done with them."

"But Sir," I said, shocked. "One of them was innocent and -" he cut me off with a dark glance.

"Innocent?" he queried mockingly. "Everyone's guilty of something in the Federation. Remember that."

That was the first incident, it happened about six weeks ago. I should have reported it. I was going to, but then I witnessed another senior officer's response to a complaint. The man dismissed the allegation out of hand, then proceeded to threaten the officer with disciplinary action. A message was circulated after that to all new recruits: Anyone caught questioning their Peace Leader would be dismissed and a mark put on their record. I was careful after that. We all were.

A few days later, as I was putting on my gloves to start a shift, Brent came up to me. He looked nervous.

"You ok?" I asked.

"Yeah," he started, "It's just... Is this what you thought it would be?"

"This..? Job?"

"Yeah. Just I'm not sure about the FPF. I mean where's the line between..."

He abruptly stopped as Graven entered the room.

That the last time I saw Brent. He didn't report in the next day. Graven said he'd been transferred to another squad. I wasn't sure about that but I had the sense not to question it.

The incidents didn't stop there though, the beatings, disappearances, extortion, to name but a few, continued. And it wasn't just occasional, but pretty much daily. I became withdrawn. Graven was thriving. We weren't 'Keeping the place civil' but acting with impunity. What bothered me most was, the more I saw, the more normalised I became to the violence. I didn't want to be that man. 

Then came the orders. Since I'd completed my first four weeks on the job successfully, there was now an expectation that I would lead the patrol. Graven would oversee my work. The first day, I tried to use the training and talk an argument to a peaceful solution. When we returned to the station, Graven set into me, yelling and making all kinds of threats. 

Returning home, I fully expected to be 'disappeared'. I still look over my shoulder to this day. But, perhaps I wasn't worth the effort; maybe I'd showed just enough of a sadistic streak. I guess I'll never know how they decide.

*******

I cradle Brell's head in my hands and look her in the eyes. I need to tell someone. I need to tell her.

"Brell," I whisper. I can feel my eyes filling with tears. "Brell... last night, for the first time, we were issued with guns. They drove us out of the Dome and into the tunnels... there was a meeting in one of the caverns... we were to surround it... then our orders came through, just two words, "open fire"... I watched them falling... scrambling for cover... surrendering... dying... what have I become?"

I weep.

Later, Brell wakes me. The Dome's lights have been dimmed. It is night.

"I've found a way out," she says gently. "One of the other recruits has been worried for a while. They've been making enquiries and they know someone who will take us away from this."

"What if we're caught?" I ask, my voice shaking.

She takes my hand. 

"Hush. Listen to me, Ord. We're on our way back home."


End file.
